Chicago Amtrak Station

In order to get from Washington, DC to Denver, CO you have to go through Chicago. As a matter of fact, in order to get most places on Amtrak, you have to go through Chicago (I will be going through Chicago three times on this trip.) Chicago has a Metropolitan Lounge, which is only for Sleeper and First Class passengers. However, I could have sworn that riders with USA Rail Passes could use it too. Apparently, I was wrong. I ended up talking to a variety of different Amtrak staff and pleading my case. Eventually, the Station Manager just let me in (I’m guessing I looked nice?), and I spent the remaining time of my six-hour layover trying to download my email. The Met Lounge was a disappointment though – from what I could tell, it was exactly like the regular lounges, but the chairs were upholstered in leather, and there were a bunch of TVs, neither of which was a big draw for me.